Jefferson Lab holds enrichment program for science teachers

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Jefferson Lab in Newport News is accepting applications for its science enrichment program for fifth-, sixth- and eighth-grade teachers of science.

The program, designed to increase teachers’ knowledge of the physical sciences and strengthen their teaching skills, runs from September through next May and is called Jefferson Lab’s Science Activities for Teachers, or JSAT, program.

The after-school program builds teachers’ skills in the physical sciences, according to Lisa Surles-Law, program administrator.

"At the elementary and middle-school level, teachers, with little or no formal background in science education, often find themselves tasked with teaching the science curriculum," she said. "This program is a primer for them and a refresher for those with a formal education in science. JSAT provides attendees with a wealth of materials and activities to take back to their classrooms, and a chance to network with other teachers."

The 2010-11 program will include interactive activities to enhance physical science instruction at the upper-elementary and middle-school levels, and lectures by Jefferson Lab staff on the applications of science. Topics will include matter, atomic structure, energy transfer, force and motion, magnetism and electricity, waves and sound, simple machines and watershed and optics. Program participants will receive supplies and materials so they may conduct all the planned activities in their own classrooms.

The program is funded by a grant from the Jefferson Science Associates Initiatives Fund.

Fifth- and sixth-grade teachers usually meet on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Eighth-grade teachers meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays every month. The sessions take place between 5-7 p.m. at Jefferson Lab, located at 12000 Jefferson Avenue.

Additional information and application forms are available at: http://education.jlab.org/jsat/. The application deadline is Sept. 17.